The Sharpest Lives
by ohmicaiah
Summary: NejiSasu AU Neji and Sasuke used to be the best of friends, but they grew apart as Neji became immersed in studies, and Sasuke immersed in parties. What happens when they're forced to become close again?
1. Chapter 1

He didn't know why he was there tonight. He didn't know why he was there every Friday night. All these parties were so boring. Everyone ignored him. Because he was a geek? Probably.

The only reason he even got invited? Hinata was his cousin. Hinata was dating Ino. Ino threw the parties. Instant invitation.

But why the hell did he accept the invitations? These parties were just for hookups, and for girls and guys alike to try and get with Sasuke.

Damn Sasuke. Neji snorted just at the thought of him.

And sure enough, as soon as he entered the next room, he saw the infamous Uchiha. He was lounging on the couch, laughing, chatting, and drinking beer with the group of both guys and girls that surrounded him.

"Hey, Hyuuga!" he called, waving a hand, "Enjoying the party?"

Neji ignored him, going right through the room and into the kitchen, which was surprisingly quiet. Usually there were many people here, hovering around the snacks set out. But only Ino and Hinata were there, conversing quietly.

Hinata turned when he entered. "Hi, Neji," she greeted him, "Having fun?"

"Not really," he admitted, "I'm gonna head home."

"It's pouring out," Ino said, "Didn't you walk here?"

"I'm just down the street, I'll be fine," he assured the blonde, "See you later." He turned and left the room before either girl could get in another word of protest.

He walked slowly, despite the raindrops pounding on him, soaking through his clothes. He didn't care. He just wanted to be away from people. Maybe curl up with a good book as he dried off by the fire...

And about a half hour later, he was doing just that. The words on the pages held his undivided attention, so much so that he didn't hear a knock on the door. He only looked up when a pair of feet covered by soaked sneakers stood next to him.

He looked up to see Uchiha Sasuke. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"Ino and Hinata told me to come," he explained, his words slurred. He'd obviously had a few too many. "Can I sleep here?"

He had a very strong urge to push the boy out the door and let him suffer in the rain. Or at least say no. But – to his own surprise – he said, "Sure. I'll pull out the couch."

"Tha's okay," the Uchiha assured him, stumbling over to said couch and collapsing onto it. He was asleep within moments.

Neji stared at him for a moment, wondering what had possessed him to let the boy he hated stay in his home overnight. Well, at least he'd be gone in the morning. He placed a bookmark in his page, leaving it on the floor and standing. He gave Sasuke one last glare before going into his room to sleep through the time Sasuke was there. The Uchiha would most likely be gone by the time he got up the next morning, he decided as he closed his eyes, slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The light from the clock must've been what had waken him, Neji decided. He sat up in the dark, brushing his long hair from his face. The glow of the clock – which read 3:27 – was the only light in the room. It was silent.

He climbed out of bed, going into the other room, having decided to check on Sasuke. But he wasn't on the couch anymore. Must've gone home.

Not really knowing why, he went into the kitchen. The clock on the microwave was two minutes slow, he noted as he opened the fridge, pulling out an apple for a snack. Might as well eat while he was wake, it would help him get back to sleep.

"Hey."

Neji nearly jumped, the word having startled him. He turned to see Sasuke, looking even more tired than before he had slept. "Oh, hi." He turned back to the fridge, closing the door. "What're you doing up?"

"Puking my guts out."

"Lovely," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He took a bite from his apple.

"Hey, um... Thanks for letting me stay tonight," Sasuke said.

"You're lucky I did," he replied. Anyone else, he would've just said 'you're welcome'. But no. This was Sasuke.

The Uchiha frowned at hearing this. "Why?" he wondered.

"Why?" he repeated, raising a dark eyebrow, "You know why."

"... No, I actually don't," he admitted.

Neji sighed, walking over to sit on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. He took another bite of his apple before speaking again. "In case you haven't noticed, Sasuke, we're not exactly friends anymore."

"Since when?" Sasuke wondered, sitting next to him. Confusion clouded his eyes.

"Since a long time ago. You mean you honestly didn't notice?"

"I noticed we weren't best friends, sure, but I didn't realize we weren't friends at all." He seemed deeply troubled by this.

Neji couldn't help but laugh at the Uchiha's ignorance.

"I've hated you for the past three years," he reported, taking another bite of his apple as he watched for his former friend's reaction.

Sasuke blinked at first, staring at the Hyuuga. Three years... And he thought they were friends the whole time. He felt like such an idiot. He laughed bitterly after a moment. "Wow, you really surprised me there." He shook his head. "Three fucking years. And still you let me sleep at your house." He stood. "I'm going home."

"Finally," he muttered, watching the Uchiha head out the door into the rain, which wasn't falling quite as hard before. Hopefully it would be sunny tomorrow. It had been raining the past few days

He couldn't help thinking he'd said too much, too fast. But he dispelled the thought, reasoning that Sasuke had had it coming, and needed to know the fact eventually. Right?

He finished his apple, throwing away the core and heading back to bed. He fell asleep easily, though his dreams were haunted by Sasuke's bitter laugh, and the image of his back as he walked out the door into the rainy night.

Neji woke late that morning. Well, if eight-thirty is late. At least the rain had stopped, but clouds covered the sky. The events of the early morning were no longer in his mind as he stood from his bed. He stretched his arms up over his head, roaming into the next room. He blinked.

Sasuke was on his couch again, fast asleep and seeming to still be damp from last night's rain.

He groaned as he remembered the early morning's events. So why had the Uchiha come back? He'd find out later, when he woke up, he was sure.

After eating breakfast and getting dressed, Neji realized Sasuke was still asleep. He went over and shook his shoulder, and when that didn't work, he threw him on the floor.

"Ah, what was that for?!" he asked, glaring up at the Hyuuga.

"Get up and get out, night's over," Neji said.

"I can't go home," Sasuke said.

"Why not?"

He avoided the question. "What do you have to eat?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead getting up and going to the kitchen.

Neji blinked, staring after his former friend in confusion.

Today was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

AN: Not much longer than the first chapter. I'm still trying to figure out exactly where I'm going with this. Reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** I'm so so so sorry that I took so long to update! I just kinda didn't update... I have no good excuse. Well, I'm gonna shut up and let you read now.

--

The next few days went by slowly, without anything interesting happening. Many times Neji asked why Sasuke couldn't leave, and just as many times, the Uchiha either ignored the question or changed the subject. Luckily, Neji didn't have to leave his guest home alone when he went to school once Monday came around. Or maybe that was an unlucky thing...

"Hey," Sasuke said, sitting next to Neji in one of the dingy bus seats.

The Hyuuga grunted in response, turning to stare out the window so he wouldn't have to look at his 'roommate.' "You haven't told anyone you barged in on me, have you?" he wondered.

"Only my friends," he answered.

He let his head rest against the window. Sasuke's friends included Sakura and Ino, the two biggest gossips in the school. Soon, everyone would know about this... And that wasn't really something he wanted. He refused to talk to the Uchiha the rest of the way home.

Once they stepped inside, Sasuke asked the questions Neji had been waiting for him to ask all weekend. "Why do you hate me, anyways? I can't figure it out."

Neji dropped his bag on the floor, taking off his shoes with his feet. "Has popularity corrupted you so much that you're blind to the feelings of people you thought were your friends?"

The Uchiha's face was blank.

He rolled his eyes. "You rose up on the social ladder and left me at the bottom. Simple enough for you?" He turned to head to the kitchen. It surprised him to see that Sasuke wasn't right behind him, but was still standing in the doorway. He let it slide, though, going into the fridge. All the apples were gone. He needed to get more next time he went out...

"Can you help me with my homework?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Why should I?"

"Because I want to get it done before my friend gets here."

He gave up on finding something to eat, shutting the refrigerator door and staring at Sasuke. "What friend?"

"Are you going to help with my homework or not?"

Neji sighed. "Fine."

An hour later, Neji realized he hated science. And idiots. Every time he explained something, Sasuke would pout and insist he didn't get it. They'd only gotten through three questions in all that time, and the Hyuuga was ready to slam his head against the kitchen table.

"How did you get through the past three years of high school?" Neji wondered.

"I had help," Sasuke explained vaguely.

He was about to ask him to explain more when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," he said when Sasuke began to get up. He stood, going to the door and opening it.

"Um, hi, Neji," Naruto said, surprised to see the Hyuuga. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Doing his homework," Neji answered. He moved to the side so Naruto could step in.

"Sasu-kuuuuun" Naruto called as he walked in.

"Hey, Naru," Sasuke replied, coming out to meet him. He smiled at the blonde before they hugged each other.

Neji stared at them for a moment before closing the door. "Make yourself at home, Naruto."

"Thanks, Neji," he replied. He took Sasuke's hand, and the two went off into the living room.

"... He's gay," the Hyuuga realized. He shuddered before going into the kitchen to do his own homework, as helping Sasuke had put him a bit behind.

--

"Hey, are you guys-" Neji stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening.

Sasuke and Naruto didn't notice him. They seemed to be a bit too focused on each other at the moment, their mouths glued together, their limbs entangled. The Hyuuga was surprised they had their clothes on. It took a few moments of staring for him to realize he was just a little bit angry.

"THAT'S MY SA... MY COUCH!" he yelled.

Naruto scrambled away from Sasuke, staring wide-eyed at the angry Neji.

Sasuke was smirking at his host's mix up. Naruto may not have caught it. Hell, Neji might not even have caught it. But the Uchiha heard his name beginning to come out of the other boy's mouth.

Now that they were apart, Neji took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. "... Naruto, please leave."

"Bye, Sasuke," the blonde said quickly, jumping up from the couch and hurrying out of the room.

Neji waited until he heard the front door close before beginning to speak again. "Sasuke, you-"

"You said my name," the Uchiha interrupted.

"Yes, I know, that's because I'm about to yell at you."

"That's not what I meant. You said my name when you first walked in."

Neji frowned. "What are you _talking_ about?" He shook his head. "Never mind about that. You told Naruto he could come over without telling me first. I come in and I find you two making out on my couch! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno, but you said my name."

He made a few sounds, the beginnings of words, but no actual speech came out. He made a loud noise of frustration. "GO AWAY. I don't care if you come back or not, just GO AWAY for now. I need to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with you."

"... Okay," the Uchiha said. He stood and walked out of the room. The door closed behind him.

Neji sighed. Why didn't he tell Sasuke to just leave altogether? 'Cause it would've been harder to get his guest to do that, that's why. That must be why.

But... Why had he said his name?

--

**AN:** WHOO. Yeah, I shoved SasuNaru in there... But I dunno if it's coming back in the future or not. Bwahaha, that Sasuke... Reviews are much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Two hours later, Sasuke walked into the bedroom, finding Neji laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. "... Hi?" he tried.

The Hyuuga didn't seem to hear him, his gaze still far off.

Sasuke frowned, walking further into the room. He then noticed the headphones in his host's ears. He smirked, sneaking closer to the bed. He found the mp3 player the headphones were attached to on the nightstand. He picked it up, turning the volume up to max in a quick motion.

"AUGH!" Neji pulled the headphones from his ears, throwing them away from him as Sasuke laughed. White eyes glared at the Uchiha. "Bastard, what was that for?"

Sasuke was smiling as he shrugged. "Just wanted to see how you reacted."

"Get out of my room."

"Nah, I don't think I will." Instead, he sat on the bed next to Neji, who stared at him, but didn't protest.

"... Why'd you bring Naruto over?" he asked after a minute. He didn't look at Sasuke as he asked or waited for the answer. He kept himself busy with turning his mp3 player off and putting it away.

"What, I can't have friends over just to have them over?"

"Let me rephrase that. Why were you _making out_ with Naruto while he was over?"

Sasuke shifted on the bed, pulling his legs up and crossing them as he turned to face Neji more fully. "Well, why would I do that, d'you think?"

"To annoy me, for one," the Hyuuga answered immediately.

"I'm not that shallow."

"I don't believe that."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, obviously, I'm gay. And, another obviously, I like him."

"And why were you shoving that fact in my face?" Neji wondered.

"Figure it out." He stood from the bed, starting to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway, turning back to him. "Oh yeah, Naruto's having a party tomorrow. You're coming with me." And he left.

"... Dammit," he cursed, falling back against his pillow. Why didn't he fight?

--

The party was in full swing by the time they got there. Naruto greeted them both with hugs, and Sasuke with a light kiss. He didn't dare make it any more than that with Neji there.

"Neji-kun, I didn't know you were coming," Hinata said when she saw her cousin. Ino's arms were wrapped around her, and the blonde was still swaying slightly to the music as she waited for her girlfriend to finish being distracted.

"I was forced," Neji explained simply, "I'll probably be leaving soon."

"No, you gotta stay the whole time," Sasuke insisted. He grabbed Neji's hand, pulling him into the next room, where the Uchiha's regular crowd was hanging. The greeted him eagerly.

"Everyone, I'm sure you know Neji," Sasuke said, pushing the Hyuuga in front of him. "Have at him."

Neji glared at Sasuke as he went and sat on the couch with Naruto and a few other guys. Sakura and Tenten made their way over to him now that he was alone.

"Hey, since when are you friends with Sasuke?" Tenten wondered.

"I'm not," he answered.

"But how can you not be?" Sakura asked, "You're totally cute." She smirked and winked at him.

"Um... Thanks," he said. He glanced at Sasuke and Naruto. He noticed that Sasuke was watching him, not quite into the conversation the other guys were having. Neji averted his gaze, looking back to the girls standing in front of him. "So..."

"Hey, Sakura, too bad it's not Christmas," Tenten said.

The pinkette blinked, confused. "What? Why?"

"'Cause then there'd be mistletoe" she teased.

Sakura flushed, partially with anger. "Oh yeah? I don't need mistletoe." She turned, standing on tiptoe and kissing Neji passionately.

Needless to say, the action surprised him greatly. He hadn't expected his first kiss to come from a girl that hung with Sasuke of all people. He had expected...

Well, he'd expected to actually feel _something_ when kissing someone. But there was nothing.

He gently pushed Sakura away. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

As he turned to leave, he noticed Sasuke had turned back to his group, a large grin on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Suddenly, everything was black.

"Guess who."

Neji frowned, pushing the hands covering his eyes away and turning to look at Kiba. "What the hell do you want?"

The brunette grinned. "I saw you kissing Sakura."

Neji turned away. "Sorry, but it was the other way around. Her plan, not mine."

The Inuzuka sat next to him on the couch, sipping at his beer as his dog sat by his feet. "Yeah, I thought so. You pushed her away."

"I've never even talked to you before, why are you talking to me?"

"'Cause Sasuke told me to," he answered, "He said to ask why you pushed her away. But I think it's obvious. You're gay."

Neji could only stare at this boy that he barely knew. He kept trying to form an arguments, but only fragments of words would come from his mouth. Eventually, he gave up on that, turning away and folding his arms. "I'm not gay," he managed to say.

"Right. That's why you called Sasuke yours when you found him making out with Naruto yesterday."

The Hyuuga turned bright red, turning and glaring at Kiba. "That's not true."

Kiba grinned slyly. "Yeah, that's why you're blushing."

"_Leave me the fuck alone!_" He stood, storming out of the room, ignoring stares from people he knew and didn't know. Once outside in the chilly air, he allowed himself to calm down and collect his thoughts. Sasuke had told his friends about his slip up. Kiba thought he was gay, and soon everyone else would. And it was all Sasuke's fault. His hands curled into fists as he dropped into a sitting position on the grass.

His life had been just fine without the Uchiha. Now it was taking a nosedive. Even in school, he'd been unable to concentrate because he knew he'd have to deal with Sasuke when he got home. If he stayed much longer, his grades would begin to drop.

Sasuke had to go home.

He didn't know how long he had sat outside alone by the time someone sat next to him in the grass.

"... I'm sorry," Sasuke said.

"Then leave, go home," Neji replied, not looking at the Uchiha.

"Why do you want to get rid of me?"

"Why won't you leave?"

"I asked first."

Neji fixed him with a cold stare. "I hate you, remember?"

"And I don't hate you," Sasuke explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out."

"You said that yesterday, it's not helping me."

"You're such a dumbass."

Neji blinked, his cold stare dissipating. "What?"

"You. Are. A. Dumbass Clear enough for you?"

"... No, not really," he admitted.

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. "You can't see what's right in front of you, even when it's practically being shoved in your face. You can't realize or accept the most obvious things."

"What obvious things? I'm still not understanding." The confusion was evident on his face.

The Uchiha thought for a moment, then poked Neji's nose. "Head home. I'll meet you there and I'll explain everything." Then he stood and went back inside.

Neji blinked and stared after him for a moment. He decided that maybe he should head home, as this party wasn't doing anything for him. He stood from the ground and started walking down the street, puzzling over everything in his head.

He was about to fall asleep on the couch when the front door opened and the lights flicked on. He blinked in the sudden brightness, and once his vision cleared, he found Sasuke standing in front of him.

"Good, you're awake," the Uchiha said, smirking. "I don't want you to miss a second of this."

"A second of wha-"

Sasuke's pale lips cut off his words, kissing him with passion held back for what had seemed like forever to the Uchiha.

Neji's eyes widened at the sudden attack, his thoughts screeching to a halt. When they started going again, there was one thing he knew he had to do.

He kissed back.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Short and mad late chapter. Enjoy as well as you can!

--

It lasted too long, but it didn't last long enough. So many things were answered, and so many questions were raised. He was filled with warmth, but shivers traveled down his spine. He wanted to keep going, but he wanted to stop and ask what was happening.

Luckily, he didn't have to make that decision. Sasuke pulled his lips away from the Hyuuga's just a few seconds later.

"Sasuke, I..." he began, but then he realized he wasn't sure what to say. His mouth hung open for a second before he shut it. He just stared as Sasuke's face shifted into a smirk.

"You were so oblivious, and yet they call you a genius." Charcoal eyes rolled playfully. "Guess you're not much of one after all..."

Neji shoved him lightly, getting up from the couch and beginning to pace the room.

Sasuke sat down where his host had just been lying, watching him pace the room silently.

Eventually, the Hyuuga stopped and sighed. "I still don't get it."

"Well, to start things off, I'm gay."

"I realized that when I found you and Naruto making out on my couch," he explained, pale eyes rolling at his guest.

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, you won't believe how hard it is to attract your attention. That was my last resort there."

"Then what was Sakura kissing me for?"

"To make you realize you didn't like girls."

"So that's why Kiba said I was gay..." he mumbled, pieces falling together in his mind. He was silent for a moment, then thought of something. "Why couldn't you go home again?"

"... Can we be dating now?"

"I asked first," Neji insisted, folding his arms and staring down the Uchiha.

Sasuke stared back, folding his own arms across his chest. "Yes."

"Yes." Neji stopped for a second, confused. "Wait, how does 'yes' answer my question?"

"'Yes' answers mine," Sasuke responded, standing from the couch and moving to the next room.

"Wait, where the hell do you think you're going?" Neji stormed after him.

"I need a snack before bed." The Uchiha had opened the fridge and was looking through it for something suitable to eat before turning in for the night.

The Hyuuga grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Answer my fucking question already!" he snapped, shoving a finger into the younger male's face.

Sasuke could only stare for a few moments, shocked by his new boyfriend's anger. "Um..."

Neji waited as patiently as he could, his finger unwavering.

"... I didn't want to," he mumbled eventually.

The pale hand dropped and even paler eyes blinked once, twice. "You... Didn't want to? You ate my food, made me help you with your homework, and made me provide you with my couch just because you didn't want to go home?!"

"Well, it was all part of the plan, really..."

Neji could only stare at the Uchiha, dumbfounded. It was a few minutes before he mustered up the energy to turn around, go into his room, and slam the door shut behind him. He locked it just to be safe, not wanting Sasuke to barge in and attempt to apologize or whatever he wanted to do. He slid down against the door and ended up seated at the base of it, arms hugging his knees to his chest as he let himself try and process all the new information he had just received.

Sasuke was gay. Sasuke liked him. Sasuke had overstayed his (un)welcome at his home. Sasuke was now his boyfriend.

Wait, what?

"... Neji?" The quiet call came from the other side of the door.

"You know where to sleep," Neji responded. He waited until he heard footsteps move away from the door before he stood and climbed into his bed, too many thoughts moving through his mind and trying to sort themselves out.

It took him quite a while to fall asleep that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hah, I'm always so slow. A bit less of a wait this time, though... I think? Anywho, here you go. I'm losing interest in this story, unfortunately, so if anyone can give me ideas on how to wrap it up after reading this chapter, please let me know! I don't want to just stop updating, it needs an ending.

--

Neji could only stare at the sleeping teenage boy propped up against the wall outside of his bedroom.

Sasuke had slept there the _entire night?_

The Hyuuga stretched his leg out, tapping the other boy in the side lightly to attempt to wake him. "Hey, wake up."

Black eyes snapped open as he jerked away from the foot and nearly fell flat on the floor. He blinked as he looked at Neji, surprised at the sudden awakening. "... I fell asleep?"

"Yeah, I guess you did." Neji crouched down to be on the same level as... his boyfriend? Yeah, his boyfriend. He guessed, anyways. "I thought I heard you go over to the couch."

He shrugged. "I couldn't fall asleep and tried to get you to let me in, but I guess you were asleep at the time. Or just ignoring me."

The Hyuuga considered this for a moment. "... I don't think I could ever ignore you," he said after a moment.

"Why?" the baffled Uchiha asked, black eyes widening slightly.

Neji laughed lightly. "I don't think anyone could. You're just that kind of person."

A smile graced the boy's pale face, though it only stayed for a moment. It was interrupted by a knock on the front door.

"I've got it," Neji mumbled, standing from his crouch and heading to the door. He opened it to find Naruto standing there, grinning like the idiot he was. He frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Sasuke," he said as though it were obvious. He tried to step past the Hyuuga, but Neji moved to block him.

"_My boyfriend_ and I are busy right now," he stated, "You can come back later."

"Naruto, hey!" Sasuke said, slipping by Neji and stepping outside to stand with the blond. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," he said, looking utterly confused.

Black eyes looked to Neji, who shut the door to leave them alone for their talk. He wandered back to the living room and plopped on the couch as he waited for his boyfriend to return, preferably without Naruto.

It was only a few more moments before Sasuke came into the living room alone and sat next to Neji. "He's gone."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That I was all set and didn't need him anymore."

"... So he was part of the plan?"

"A backup, yeah." Sasuke smirked.

Neji rolled his eyes and turned away from him, pretending to be angry. But honestly, it made him kind of happy that Sasuke went through all this trouble to get him. "You're lucky you're a good kisser," he said.

"I know," Sasuke replied, smirking. He turned Neji's head and pressed his lips against the Hyuuga's to emphasize this point.

As he kissed back, he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't let Sasuke sleep on his couch that one rainy night.

--

**AN:** Lame ending, I know, but I have nothing better and I'm just plain done with this story. I have other things I want to work on and wanted to get this out of the way so I wouldn't feel guilty all the time.


End file.
